Monday, March 19, 2012

Working Out with Cancer

Being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer like mesothelioma, or any form of cancer is a terrible ordeal for a person to experience. When this happens, many cancer patients feel an immediate sense of dread, depression and anger. These are perfectly normal emotional reactions to such a difficult piece of information. Cancer is hard to deal with and difficult to fight, the treatments are hard and the side effects are worse. Cancer patients need all the help they can get to fight their battle to ensure they live a long, healthy life that does not include cancer. Exercise and fitness is one of the best things a cancer patient can get while they are undergoing treatment for their cancer.

Energy balance is one of the best benefits of getting plenty of exercise during cancer. A positive energy balance is crucial considering the fact that cancer can make a person’s energy balance completely off and completely crazy. Those with better energy have a better chance at survival and at going through their treatments with ease. The amount of exercise that is recommended for everyone, not just cancer patients, is a mere 150 minutes of exercise each week. This is broken down into just about 21 minutes per day of exercise, a perfectly reasonable and easy to accomplish amount of exercise.

Another benefit of exercise for cancer patients is that it improves a person’s quality of life by a large amount. Those that work out have a better feeling of overall health that makes them feel better about themselves and life in general. Those who exercise are more likely to have a positive outlook on their treatment, which will help them to respond better. Additionally, exercise will help to reduce the negative side effects that are so common with most cancer treatments. Depression, fatigue, exhaustion, vomiting and overall feelings of illness are very common with most cancer treatments. While no one enjoys experiencing these side effects, they are often necessary when it comes to fighting cancer. However, cancer patients can greatly reduce their risk of experiencing these side effects through exercise. Exercise improves the immune system, which helps to make a person feel better and to fight off illness, which is a huge plus for those experiencing any of these side effects or about to start their cancer treatment.

There are too many benefits of fitness and exercise to ignore when it comes to living with cancer. Exercise and fitness will not cure a person of their cancer, but exercise combined with cancer treatment can make a person’s chance of survival greater, and their overall health much better throughout the course of the entire cancer and treatment process.

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About Lisa

World-class endurance athlete and ultrarunner, Lisa Smith-Batchen has competed in countless races around the world. She is the only American to have won the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara. She has completed Badwater nine times, including a double crossing, and has won the race twice. Last summer, Lisa Smith-Batchen became the first person to run 50 miles in each of the 50 states to raise money for orphans. Co-owner and founder of the Dreamchasers Foundation, she and her husband Jay Batchen offer personalized training and camps to help other athletes achieve their goals. 100% of the proceeds go to the Dreamchasers Foundation and to Aids Orphans Rising. To make a donation click here: DONATIONS